Pyrolysis Kinetic Modeling of a Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) Encapsulant Found in Waste Photovoltaic Modules

As the global cumulative installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) devices grows every year, a proportionate number waste PV modules arises because their limited lifespan. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be approximately 60–78 million tonnes (Farrell, C.; Osman, A. I.; Zhang, X. et al. Sci Rep. 2019, 9, 5267). These are bound in strong encapsulated laminate prone to imminent degradation. Subsequently, form treatment required remove problematic polymeric material such as encapsulant poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) order recycle. Pyrolysis an ideal option facilitates clean delamination removing polymer fraction, and it does not promote chemical oxidation any constituents left behind after pyrolysis. To date, studies on pyrolysis EVA found modules, resulting significant gaps knowledge kinetic parameters. This work aims investigate reaction kinetics concerning end-of-life (EoL) crystalline silicon (c-Si) modules. The thermoanalytical technique employed was thermogravimetric analysis, which carried out at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 5 °C min–1 ensure accuracy high resolution while analyzing kinetics. triplet determined reported for first time using Advanced Kinetics Technology Solutions (AKTS) Thermokinetics software. main modeling method Friedman differential isoconversional method. Other conventional approaches were also used, integral (Ozawa) ASTM-E698 methods comparison apparent activation energy. observed energy values each 167.66–260.00, 259.70, 167.00–252.65 kJ mol–1 Additionally, isothermal, nonisothermal, step-based predictions thermokinetics package. Furthermore, can have triple role successful recovery additional constituents, aiding management this polymer.